“The most memorable performance?”
Maestro Antonio of the New York Philharmonic answered the reporter’s question without hesitation.
“It was a collaboration with Maestro Hyun ten years ago.”
The reporter nodded as if he had expected this answer.
“It was when I was not the conductor but the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic ten years ago.”
“I remember that too. It was a concert that stirred not just New York but the entire United States, wasn’t it?”
“That’s right. It was that concert that made me want to pursue the path of a conductor. I apologize to Maestro Michael, who was the chief conductor at the time, but until then, I didn’t find conducting very appealing. I vaguely thought it was a path completely different from the one I was pursuing in music.”
Maestro Antonio’s blue eyes seemed to be reminiscing about the past.
When he first met Kang Hyun, he thought his fame was exaggerated.
But working with Kang Hyun, he realized that the media’s portrayal of his fame fell far short of his actual abilities.
“In the orchestra, the concertmaster sits closest to the audience after the conductor. I can never forget the expressions on the audience’s faces that day. They were in ecstasy, as if dreaming. It wasn’t just the audience; we, the members, also felt like we were entering a new world of music under Hyun’s direction.”
It was high praise, but Antonio’s voice did not seem exaggerated or boastful.
“Many members got help from Hyun. I can say for sure that it was the rookies of the New York Philharmonic who benefited the most.”
“Rookies?”
“Yes, the new members. The position at the New York Philharmonic is so harsh that it’s said new members can’t last three months. But as they say, coincidences become inevitabilities. The new members who got Hyun’s help grew in ways that can’t be put into words. Actually, it would be better to hear this story directly from someone who experienced it rather than from me.”
The orchestra does not discriminate by age. Positions are not divided into regular members, assistant principals, or principals based on seniority but solely on ability. Thanks to this, she became the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic in less than ten years.
“Go find Park Sunyoung, the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic. She is one of the musicians who deeply felt Hyun’s greatness.”
“Maestro, can we take a short break?”
One of the rookies spoke with a voice full of metal fatigue. He couldn’t hold it in anymore. Even Park Sunyoung felt her breath catching at the top of her throat.
She wondered if she had ever felt this exhausted while playing the violin. Her fingers were trembling like aspen leaves.
It wasn’t just Park Sunyoung; the other rookies felt the same. They didn’t know how many hours they had been playing without a break. It seemed to have started in the evening, but it was already dawn outside.
“Do you want to rest?”
Kang Hyun’s deep gaze met Park Sunyoung’s forehead. It felt like a look that said, “Do you want to sleep with that level of skill?” Then Kang Hyun stood up and handed out sheet music to Park Sunyoung and the other rookies.
It was the sheet music he had composed while they were playing the violin just a moment ago. As if reading everyone’s thoughts, Kang Hyun added,
“It’s sheet music composed to address each of your problems. From today, practice with these.”
Each piece was different. At first, Park Sunyoung and the rookies didn’t understand. Soon, Kang Hyun seemed like a monster.
Looking at it another way, he had identified the rookies’ problems and composed new pieces to address each one in just a few hours.
Not just one, but five pieces, all on the spot.
Gulp.
The sheet music was filled with notes of varying pitches and rhythms.
It was more like scribbling than elegant composition, but looking closer, one couldn’t help but be astonished.
He had identified problems that even Park Sunyoung herself hadn’t known. The other rookies felt the same.
The rookie who had asked if they could take a break, and those who had silently agreed with him, all blushed simultaneously.
They felt embarrassed, as if standing naked before Kang Hyun. To think they had said they wanted to rest when their problems were so evident.
“Maestro, we’re really sorry.”
Park Sunyoung and the rookies bowed their heads to Kang Hyun.
Only then did they seem to understand why Kang Hyun had been so harsh on them. To identify everyone’s problems in a short time, he had to push them to their limits.
Kang Hyun nodded slightly with a faint smile.
“We’ll take a short break. Get a massage or some sleep. After today’s orchestra practice, I’ll help guide you all again. But make sure to memorize the sheet music in your heads even while sleeping.”
Park Sunyoung did not know that her violin career would take a step forward during the few months Kang Hyun stayed with the New York Philharmonic.
Nor did she know that the sheet music Kang Hyun had effortlessly composed on the spot would later be worth millions.
“What should we do, CEO?”
CEO Im Hyera was troubled. It was because of Kang Hyun’s ongoing concert in New York.
What’s the problem with a regular orchestra performance? It was the overwhelming interest from people.
“Tell them we’re still considering. The final decision should be made by Hyun, not the gallery.”
The number of seats in the concert hall for the collaboration with the New York Philharmonic was far fewer compared to the public’s interest.
There were numerous inquiries about adding more seats, but it was practically impossible. The seating and placement in the concert hall were acoustically perfect from its initial design.
Planning additional performances was also impractical. The New York concert was initially planned for three performances.
However, within less than thirty minutes after ticket sales began, all seats for the three performances were sold out. Now, even scalpers were openly appearing.
“Scalper ticket prices are similar to Super Bowl tickets?”
It was unbelievable. The Super Bowl is the hottest sports event in the U.S. and the largest single sports event in the world. In the U.S., the Super Bowl is as popular as the World Cup, and its ticket and merchandise sales are unparalleled.
Moreover, the price of Kang Hyun’s tickets continued to soar.
“How popular is Hyun, exactly?”
She already knew that he had reached 7th on the Billboard charts in the U.S. They had even moved the studio once because of the paparazzi and reporters.
But she didn’t expect it to be this much. Both CEO Im Hyera and the media were equally surprised.
They knew Kang Hyun’s popularity was unprecedented for a violinist, but this was beyond their expectations.
Korean broadcasters and media were belatedly sending more correspondents to the U.S.
“CEO, the Ministry of Culture has also contacted us.”
“The Ministry of Culture?”
“They expressed that the Minister of Culture wants to personally award Hyun with a cultural award.”
It was clear that even the domestic government had caught wind of Hyun’s popularity.
The Minister of Culture, known for being reserved, had expressed a desire to personally award Hyun.
For an ordinary person, this would be a cause for celebration, but for Hyun, he would probably find it bothersome and wave it off.
“Just tell them we understand. But we need to coordinate the schedule, so check if the Ministry can accommodate that. We can’t just call him back from New York right away.”
“The Ministry has said they will accommodate our schedule. They even mentioned that the Minister would like to treat Hyun to a meal if possible.”
“Well, Hyun said he wanted to come back to Korea soon because life in New York was getting annoying.”
It seemed that life in Korea would be just as busy as in New York.
Winter nights come earlier. Though it was evening, the surroundings of the New York Philharmonic concert hall were as bright as midday.
Among the audience were many world-renowned figures.
Reporters’ flashes were constantly going off, and on the other side, Kang Hyun’s merchandise was being sold out.
“This is Hannah from ABA. I’m at the New York Philharmonic concert hall where Maestro Hyun’s performance is taking place. The atmosphere here is like a pop star’s stadium concert. It is distinctly different from the classical concerts we usually know. Merchandise featuring Maestro Hyun’s face, such as T-shirts and mugs, are selling out. Let’s interview one of the audience members.”
As the reporter said, the front of the concert hall was already crowded with people.
Even at a glance, it was a large crowd that could fill the seats and more.
To a stranger, it might look like a pop star’s concert or a Super Bowl event.
“I came to the concert hall today, but I don’t have a ticket.”
“You don’t have a ticket?”
“Yes, I failed to get one. But I heard there will be an autograph session after the concert, so I came early. I wanted to buy some merchandise too. It looks like a lot of people had the same idea. Excuse me, I need to buy another T-shirt before it’s too late. I’ll have to end the interview here!”
The reporter was momentarily speechless but quickly regained composure. It was a testament to how popular Kang Hyun was in the U.S.
Even teenagers who weren’t interested in classical music were drawn to him.
Even as the interview ended, more people were flocking to the concert hall.
Kang Hyun sat alone in the conductor’s room, adjusting his attire for the audience waiting for him. The grip of the thin baton always felt good.
It was the old baton he had received from the owner of “The Fate of the Deer.” The old baton filled the void that neither the ash nor olive wood could.
Kang Hyun felt his heart racing. He knew instinctively. The old baton that fit perfectly in his hand, the essence of Berlin, would soon make the audience’s hearts tremble like a quivering trill.
